Scenic Cruising - Tracy Arm, AK

Tracy Arm is located about 45 miles south of Juneau, Alaska.  It is a narrow fjord around 30 miles long.  The cruise ship slowly moves through the ice-studded water.  Imagine - some ice pieces could be as large as a three-story building!  Why do I keep thinking about the Titanic?

The weather is cold (it’s mid-May) but we are dressed warmly.  We will spend the next 5 hours outside on the bow of the ship enjoying our scenic cruise.  Due to the snow melting, there are lots of waterfalls tumbling down the mountainsides.  Later in the summer season, they will probably disappear.  Part of the beauty of this area is the curves in the waterway.  Each turn reveals another awesome landscape. 

 

                

 

It takes 2.5 hours to cruise to South Sawyer Glacier at the end of the fjord.   The ship spends about 30 minutes floating within a half mile from the glacier. 

 

           

South Sawyer Glacier              

 

Our cruise ship maneuvers around and turns so we can retrace our route back to Holkham Bay.  As far as seeing wildlife goes ... well, they are here but we didn’t have much luck seeing them.  Brad sees dolphins and a whale tale … I think I see a black bear on a distant shoreline … or maybe it was a rock … but I’m saying it was a black bear … that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!